So the whole nothing to drink 15 minutes before a minute, nothing during the meal, and nothing 45 minutes after. Is that a lifelong rule? I mean, not even a sip???? I don't want to gulp, but a sip would be nice.

When were you allowed to have alcohol? I'm not a big drinker, but I have a birthday coming up and would love to enjoy ONE drink with my friends, but I doubt I can. I am six weeks post op.

Why can't I have salad? What does it do to the stomach that makes it temporarily off limits?

So the whole nothing to drink 15 minutes before a minute' date=' nothing during the meal, and nothing 45 minutes after. Is that a lifelong rule? I mean, not even a sip???? I don't want to gulp, but a sip would be nice.

When were you allowed to have alcohol? I'm not a big drinker, but I have a birthday coming up and would love to enjoy ONE drink with my friends, but I doubt I can. I am six weeks post op.

Why can't I have salad? What does it do to the stomach that makes it temporarily off limits?[/quote']

first, my doc said that its worse for the sleeve if you drink less tHAN 30 minutes after a meal than right before you eat. yes, you can take a sip, ONE SIP, if you have to, but thats really it, while eating. it all had to do with preserving the sleeve and not stretching it out.

My doc let me eat salad at 6 weeks post op...I just had to chew the helkl out of it.

I am 9 months post op and i am eating anything that i want to eat. I do not have any problems with any foods. I feel very lucky. I do et heartburn now for some reason, but I take omeprazole for it. BEst of luck!

I agree with Perfectsleeve2012, you can have a sip after you eat solids. Any more and you will hurt! And push the food out of your stomach too fast. You want that dense Protein to stick around in there and make you feel full longer. I stop drinking about five minutes before I eat, that's how long it takes my stomach to empty liquids. On, and a "meal" is solid (or mostly solid) food. You don't have to wait before and after if your meal consists of a Protein shake.

I had a drink about 8 weeks post-op, a glass of wine. it was fine but I don't drink much anyway.

I don't know why you can't have salad, other than it's not very nutritious early out and it didn't sit well with me. I can eat it now but I prefer denser vegetables like steamed carrots or cauliflower.

My program says 15 before, 30 mins after. When I was in with my nutritionist at about 3 weeks, she told me if I needed a sip, take it, that I was following the rules too close. I waited to have a drink until about 7 months out. It can affect your healing.

I believe lettuces are hard to digest. Salads are generally all raw veggies too. Maybe you are still on cooked veggies?

I drink right before I eat but wait at least 30 minutes after. I find if I try to drink before then I get uncomfortably full.

For alcohol, I waited the 6 months my program recommended and was cleared by my Dr. I felt more comfortable following the program. Maybe ask your doctor about a few ounces of wine?

Lynda

Haven't had my surgery yet (July 17), but my doc makes us sign a form saying no alchohol for 1 year.

(mostly for health, and you react differently than pre-surgery).

Water:

Admittedly, I have tried a sip of Water at a meal. I can handle that, but no more and I only do it if I am really thirsty. The drinking thing has been the most difficult habit to break of all for me. Now I try to drink something right before I eat and that seems to help tide me over. My doc told me 30 minutes to an hour after I eat and now at 6 months out, 30 minutes is just fine. I have gotten good at distracting myself until then.

Alcohol:

I have had a few glasses of wine in the last month or so and it went down just fine. I don't see myself being a big drinker in the future, but it's another thing that's not permanently off the list. The alcohol processes differently now though. Totally different sensation after a glass of wine.

Salad:

I am one of the people that has no issue with salad, but I didn't start trying it until month 5. Raw veggies do just fine in my stomach, but I can't eat the quantity I used to. I used to be able to shovel a ton of salad down and now it is more like a cup of it.

So the whole nothing to drink 15 minutes before a minute, nothing during the meal, and nothing 45 minutes after. Is that a lifelong rule? I mean, not even a sip???? I don't want to gulp, but a sip would be nice.

When were you allowed to have alcohol? I'm not a big drinker, but I have a birthday coming up and would love to enjoy ONE drink with my friends, but I doubt I can. I am six weeks post op.

Why can't I have salad? What does it do to the stomach that makes it temporarily off limits?

You do not want to sabotage yourself. You need to follow the 'rules' until you reach goal. The honeymoon period, the period of greatest weight loss is the first year. I personally think it's the first 7 - 8 months. You want to lose as much as you can and work on changing bad habit. A drink every so often AFTER you are at goal, is fine. Right now, I'd stick to sparkling grape juice, or whatever it's called. The rule of thumb is NO drinking while you eat. My doctor said we can drink up until the meal, then 30 minutes afterwards. I always order Water at a restaurant, one reason, the waitstaff will bug you to death if you order nothing......and I try and drink the entire glass before I eat, I NEED the water! I was able to start introducing salad back into my diet after six weeks. I eat very little because it isn't what I 'need' but I do enjoy a salad with a few croutons. Just an FYI, the few times I've taken a drink while eating....if something was really spicy or I got choked up, it wasn't very comfortable.

Also, I stopped drinking with my meals a month prior to surgery, just so I'd get use to it.

I am almost 2 years post op...

Water - I still don't drink with my meals, or afterward. 2 reasons, it can make you sick and throw up early out. Also, like someone else mentioned, it liquifies your food, helping it pass through your stomach quicker (Like a clog in a sink...yucky bug good visual!). It has become a habit for me. I will have the occasional sip during or after, but I do not keep a glass of water beside my plate. I will just sip my husbands. So a sip is not so bad, but don't make a habit out of drinking a lot.

Alcohol - being only 6 weeks out, I am not sure I would suggest it. Your tummy is still healing. But you are probably going to do what you want anyway, so my advice. Drink very slowly, no drinks that use pop, and remember, we process alcohol A LOT faster than before. You will feel it way faster and be more intoxicated on fewer drinks, so be careful.

salad - Raw veggies are difficult to digest like someone else said. Right now you need to focus on your new tummy healing the best that it can. With veggies, your stomach will have to work harder, and you don't want to risk something happening. It does not mean never. I eat salad and raw veggies all the time.

Good luck on your journey.

It is weird but I find that taking a small sip or two of a drink keeps me full longer. So I eat less because I know I am going to have a sip of a drink.